Make Him Proud
by PrincessBellePrinceAdam
Summary: xOOx He watched his father die, Rose thought, Of course he'd be different...
1. Prologue

Dedication: For Destiny, because she told me to.

**Make Him Proud**

Andrew Hartford recognized the signs of collapse right away. The cave floor had been shaking from time to time for hours now, and every so often little showers of dirt chipped away from the ceiling onto he and his son Mack's shoulders. "We need to get out of here," he told Mack. "Turn around and start going the way we came. Be very careful, Mack. This cave is about to fall in, and if we're not quick it's going to fall on us."

Mack did exactly as his father had instructed, performing a perfect about-face and following the path that led back to camp. He walked quickly but cautiously so as not to speed up the cave's disintegration. He could hear his father's footsteps close behind him and relaxed slightly. They could take showers and eat dinner and laugh about the close call they'd had, and maybe he'd have time to send Rose a quick e-mail before bed.

"Mack, get out of here. No matter what, you have to keep going. You have to promise me that if there's not enough time for us both to get out safely then you'll keep going." Andrew's voice was frantic.

"No way, Dad," Mack said without turning to look at his father. "Look, the cave mouth is only ten yards away. We're gonna be fine. Just think-"

There was a sudden rumble from about them. The dirt showers were stronger and more frequent now, and Andrew noticed a growing crack in the roof of the cave. It split wider and wider, and then a huge stream of dirt and huge rocks fell…Mack…he was too young…

Andrew thought quickly and gave Mack a huge, powerful shove towards the cave mouth. Mack went flying and managed to turn just in time to see the boulders fall onto his father. "Dad!" Mack screamed, running back to his father's crushed body. "Dad…" Mack used his super strength to shift several hundred-pound boulders off of Andrew right as the older man's eyes slid shut for the last time.


	2. I'm So Sorry

**Make Him Proud**

Rose checked the clock as she finished setting up for her lecture and saw that she still had ten minutes before her class was due to start. She sat down with her laptop to check her e-mail, only to hear her phone ring. It was Mack.

The former pink ranger was always so happy to hear from her best friend, and it showed in her voice as she greeted him. "Hey Mack," Rose said brightly, "I was just about to see if I had a new message from you when you called. How've you been? I haven't heard from you in a few days."

"Can you come home?"

He didn't sound like himself, and Rose knew instantly that something was terribly wrong. She took a deep breath. "Home like my apartment here or home like San Angeles in the mansion? Where are you? What's going on?"

"I need you," Mack said quietly, and his voice broke as he said it. "I'm in San Angeles at home and my dad…he's gone, Rose. I'll pay you back for the plane ticket, but I need you here with me. I can't do this by myself."

"I have a class but as soon as it's over I'll be on my way to California. I promise. Oh, Mack…I'm so sorry. I know how much you love your dad and how much he meant to you. I'm so sorry, honey."

Mack couldn't respond, but a second later Rose heard another familiar voice. "He appreciates it very much, Miss Rose. We both do. Keep us informed about when your plane will be getting in. I'll see to it that your room is ready."

"Alright Spencer. I…I'm sorry. I know Mr. Hartford was like a son to you." Her own grief had seeped into her voice.

"We shall see you soon, Rose." The call ended with a small click. Rose heaved a sigh, checked that her face was dry, and turned back to the class that had gathered.

"Today we'll be covering some Greek legends…"

--

As she left the university's campus, she made arrangements for a colleague to cover her classes. "Family emergency," Rose claimed, "I'll be gone for a few weeks. Tell my students I'm very sorry about leaving in the middle of term and that I'll be very flexible with grades to be fair."

And then she was pulling up to her flat a few minutes later. Rose ran into her bedroom, found her pink duffel bags and threw them onto the bed. She flung open dresser drawers and put the first things her hands touched into the suitcases.

Rose ran through the mental checklist she'd made during her last class and remembered the last thing. She wrote a quick note to her landlord, explaining what had happened and that she'd completely understand if he decided not to renew her lease since this was the third time she'd run off around the world on him.

Twenty minutes later, Rose was at the airport, trying to find the next flight out to San Angeles. She was running short of patience. "I just need the time of the flight; it's not like I'm asking you to do brain surgery," she snapped at the clerk. "San Angeles. When is the next flight to San Angeles, California?"

"There's a flight in one hour, miss. There's also no reason for you to be so rude to me. We can't all be genius power rangers, you know."

"For good reason," Rose said, "I find you to be taking your sweet time like there's not an emergency and I'm not needed to keep my best friend from falling apart. Now, if you would please just let me book a seat on the plane, I will stop yelling, which I'm sure you would enjoy immensely."

Ticket in hand, Rose walked off to call the mansion's land line, and maybe to buy a book…  
She got the answering machine. "Hi, Mack," she said softly, "It's about four here in London. My flight's in an hour. I'll be there early tomorrow morning. Please try not to do anything stupid before I get there. Get some rest. I mean it. And again, I'm so sorry…"


	3. Let the Rain Fall

**Make Him Proud**

It was raining in San Angeles as Rose stepped outside to find a cab. Within minutes she was soaked through, but she didn't care. Finally she spotted a lone taxi and ran over to it. She threw her bags inside and gave the cabbie the mansion's address.

"That's miles," he groaned.

Rose tossed him an extra twenty dollar bill that she'd gotten in exchange for her English pounds. "I'm sorry to trouble you, but I think that should make up for it," she said in a falsely sweet voice. With that, Rose snapped her phone open and speed dialed the mansion. "Hi Spencer. I'm on my way. How's he doing?"

"I'm rather concerned about him, Rose. He's been very quiet and I don't think he's slept since he's been home. He'll listen to you, so all I can really do is wait for you to get here."

Rose took a deep breath. "I'll talk some sense into him."

As the cab pulled up in front of the mansion, Rose picked up her bags and threw open the door. She scurried out into the rain, lugging the suitcases with her. Spencer was waiting for her at the door. "Where is he?" Rose asked quietly as she dumped her suitcases in a heap on the floor.

"In Mr. Hartford's study, miss."

Rose took off her wet coat and made her way through the house, her clothes leaving a trail of water on the tiles. Her poor baby. She knew how badly he was hurting right now.

He stood behind the desk, staring blankly out of the window. Rose tiptoed over to him. "Mack?"

He threw himself into her arms, his face wet with tears. Rose struggled to support both of their weights for a moment, but as she found her footing she held him back tightly, rubbing circles on the small of his back. "I know, Mack," she soothed. "I know."

"He was my dad, Rose," Mack choked out. "He died trying to save me. We knew the cave was collapsing and he pushed me out of the way to save me." He looked down at her, and Rose hated the pain in his eyes. "I was so horrible to him."

"Your father loved you do much, Mack. He was so proud of what you accomplished; of the job you did leading the team to victory. He couldn't have loved you more, Mack. You meant more to him than anything."

"Thanks, Rose," he murmured as he pulled away and turned back to the window. Rose threaded her fingers through his as she watched the rain fall. She saw him glance at her, unused to her initiating affectionate gestures, but she just smiled and gave his hand a squeeze. "I'm glad you're here."

"Would I be anywhere else when you need me?"

"No," Mack replied. "You wouldn't. And when you need me…well, we already talked about this." He yawned suddenly and Rose felt it her duty to try and convince him to get some rest. "You must be as tired as I am, Rose," Mack said quietly.

"Do you read my mind?" She smiled at him and then turned towards the room's entrance. "How about we both go get some sleep? I think we both could use it."

"Deal. I'll grab your bags for you. I think Spencer put clean sheets on your bed…"

As they reached the second storey landing, Mack put Rose's bags down and wrapped his arms around her again. "Thanks for being here. I know you have your own busy life, but I don't think I could handle making any of the necessary arrangements by myself. I…just thanks. Thanks."

"Any time," Rose whispered against his neck as she hugged him just as tightly. "Whenever you need me."

"I know. I don't think I can keep my eyes open much longer. See you."

"Night," Rose murmured, "Or rather, morning. It's only nine." Mack tried to grin before turning away and heading down the hall to his own room. Rose dragged her bags inside and changed into dry clothes before following Mack's path down the hall. "Hi."

"I hardly need to be babysat, Rose," Mack said, but he said it in a teasing tone. "C'mere."

Rose crossed to the bed and lay down next to him, snuggling close. "I just wanted to make sure you were doing like you promised," Rose replied, but she didn't sound too convinced of this, even to herself.

"Sure you did." Mack tightened his hold on her slightly, pressed a kiss to her forehead and closed his eyes. "I know I told you this before, but thanks again for coming right when I called you. I wish we were seeing each other under happier circumstances."

But Rose had already fallen asleep.


	4. Comforting Arms

**Make Him Proud**

Several hours later, Rose turned in her sleep and rolled into Mack. Her eyes snapped open, but Mack didn't seem to notice. Rose smiled sadly at the man lying next to her.

It was no easy feat to escape Mack's protective grip – it never had been. Rose shoved the past from her mind for the moment as she managed to sit up. Still focusing on the sleeping red ranger, Rose brushed a stray curl from his eyes, cupping his face in her hand. "Sleep tight," Rose whispered.

She left Mack's room quietly, feeling better now that she had gotten a few hours of sleep. Rose scrunched her face into a frown as she moved down the hallway. Why was the light in Ronny's room on? She pushed the door open.

The yellow ranger jumped at the slight creaking the door made. She turned to see Rose standing near the entrance of her yellow room. "Oh it's you," Ronny said. "You startled me. It's late; I thought you were asleep."

"I've been here since this morning," Rose replied. "Mack and I took naps. I just woke up." Rose ventured inside a few steps. "When did you get here?"

"Ten minutes ago." And then Ronny abandoned the shirt she'd been holding, crossing to Rose and hugging the woman who as like the sister she'd never had. They stood there for a long time. "It's so sad," Ronny said finally.

Rose nodded. "Especially since Mack was there and all. He feels guilty. He thinks it should have been him, I know it."

"Mack always was stupid like that," Ronny scoffed. "Whatever he's feeling, it would have been ten times worse for Mr. Hartford if it had been the other way around."

"I know that, Ronny," Rose said quietly. "But it really couldn't have been worse, could it? They were just starting to mend their relationship. Mack told me all kinds of things they discussed, and I could just picture how happy they must have been on their expedition. It's terrible."

"But he's home now." Ronny looked at her friend, her eyes serious instead of laughing for once. "Have you talked about…?"

"This is not the time for that, Ronny, his father just died."

"I know," Ronny said. "I just meant that you've been waiting for him for a long time. I think you deserve to be happy, Rose. He's-"

"You don't know anything about that, Ronny. He needs me right now. The last thing I should be doing is dragging up that ancient history. When he's ready he'll tell me. Until then, I just have to be patient. I'm not going to give up on him just yet."

Ronny nodded. "Do you know anything about the funeral plans? Tyzonn contacted Spencer and him and Vella are going to try to get here on time."

"I don't know if Mack's done anything yet," Rose answered. "I don't know if he can handle it. He's really messed up over this, Ronny. He cried for what seemed like hours, and when he called to tell me what had happen, all he could say was that he needed me to come home. It would probably be better if someone else handled arrangements."

The female rangers settled in on Ronny's bed and continued talking for nearly an hour. When Rose left so Ronny could get some sleep, she peeked in at Mack once again. "I'm sorry," Rose whispered to the sleeping red ranger. "But I'm glad it wasn't you, Mack, selfish as it is. I don't know what I'd do without you."

--

Mack slept all of the next day, right through Will and Dax's arrivals. Rose stayed close to him, watching over him as she tossed and turned restlessly. "I know," she murmured. "I know." When he began moaning during nightmares, mumbling "Dad…Dad…" over and over again, Rose lay down and gathered him in her arms as best she could. I know, Mack. It's alright. Rose is here."

"Rose?" he groaned as he opened his eyes. "Rosie?"

"Oh, good," she sighed. "You're finally awake. You slept for almost thirty-six hours." Rose ran her hand through his curls soothingly, trying to show him he wasn't the only one who could do the comfort thing. "You had nightmares."

"The cave." Mack slung to her, desperate. "Why did he have to die, Rose?" He buried his face in her neck.

"I don't know." Rose was now rubbing his back again as more tears fell from Mack's eyes. "Just let it out, Mack. It's just you and me here. We're all alone. I won't think anything less of you. I know you love your dad, and I know it hurts." Rose paused for a moment. "He was like my dad, too."

Mack's eyes found hers, and again Rose hated to see his pain. Wordlessly, he sat the both of them up, keeping his arms around her. He leaned back against the wall, holding Rose close to him. "Dad would have liked that."


	5. After the Burial

**Make Him Proud**

Rose had been wrong for once. Mack, stubborn as always, insisted on making all the arrangements for his father's services himself. Rose was with him constantly, worrying over his mental health and that Mack might do something stupid if left to his own devices. He always did.

A week after Rose arrived in San Angeles, Andrew's funeral was held. She sat in the church with Mack, holding his hand tightly, trying to keep her tears in check. It was like she'd told Mack: Andrew Hartford was like her father, too. He was a much better one than Rose's, even if he had different ways of doing things. She hadn't agreed with all of Andrew's decisions, but for the most part she'd had a sort of daughterly affection for him.

Mack looked tired, Rose noted sadly. She wished she could have done something more for the former red ranger. Surely a few hugs and soft words weren't much of a help.

The guests began to file past the coffin to pay their last respects. Mack nodded as words of condolence were murmured. He didn't trust himself to speak. And when they had all gone, he found Rose once more and threw himself into her arms like he had so many times over the last week. He needed her.

The rest of the team found their way to the red and pink rangers and joined in the hug. There was not a dry face among the Overdrive team.

When they broke apart, Mack looked strangely calm. "Thanks guys." Will, Dax and Tyzonn clapped Mack's shoulder supportively, and Ronny nearly crushed him in another hug. "Ronny," Mack choked out.

"Sorry," Ronny murmured, dabbing at her eyes. She released the red ranger and turned to Will, who slipped his arm around her waist and slowly led her from the church. He spoke softly to her as they left.

"I did not know your father, Mack," Vella began softly. "But losing someone is always a terrible ordeal. If there is _anything_ Tyzonn and I can ever do, please let us know." Tyzonn nodded agreement.

"Thanks." Mack found Rose's hand, squeezing. "I need another minute. You guys go on ahead." The Mercurians and Dax followed Will and Ronny's path. Rose remained, as usual, faithfully at Mack's side. Mack closed his eyes tightly for a long time.

"Mack?" Rose asked after awhile. "This isn't good for you. Let's go home. You need sleep." He nodded wordlessly, still holding Rose's hand as they slowly left for home.

--

The others left the mansion a few days later, but Rose stayed. She didn't trust that Mack was going to be alright quite yet. She made sure that Mack knew she was available day or night if he needed to talk, but mostly he was completely silent.

They were lying on her bed, Mack curled up as close to her as possible as he slept. Every so often, Rose would look up from her book and smile sadly at the red ranger. "Oh, Mack." Rose sighed and reached over to him, running her fingers through his unruly curls. "I wish I could make it better."

Soft as her voice was, it was enough to wake him. "You don't know how much you have made it better, Rose."

"But all I've done is-"

"Be the best thing that ever happened to me." Mack smiled, a small one, but it was the most Mack-like smile Rose had seen on his face for a long time. "Let's take a walk. I want to talk to you."

They walked through the rather impressive gardens, fingers laced together. "My dad told me a lot of things while we were on the trip, Rose. Like why he wanted the Corona. He wanted me to be human." Rose nodded. "He also told me why he chose you to be on the team."

"And why's that?"

"Well, for one, you uncovered nearly all of the clues and worked out the leads." Rose smiled proudly, and Mack grinned, "But he also thought that you and I would probably be good for each other." Rose's face fell. "Dad thought I needed someone focused, and when he looked over all of your achievements, he guessed you didn't have much fun."

"I didn't," Rose said, "So he thought we would get together? Because he was-"

"I know, Rose. He really liked you, you know. I mean, he liked the whole team, but he liked your ideas, the way you think."

"I think we should go in now. I'm tired."

This was a blatant lie, and they both knew it. "Alright." Mack mentally kicked himself. He should have kept his big mouth shut. He'd dragged up their history, and Rose clearly didn't like him like that anymore.


	6. On Hold

**Make Him Proud**

"Alright. I'll take care of it within the next few days. Thank you so much, Mr. Potter. Good luck with your new tenants." Rose hung up the phone, her mind spinning. Where on earth was she going to live now? She rubbed her temples, thinking.

Mack came into the room then. "Hi, Rose." He noticed the look on her face. "What's wrong? You look so freaked out, what happened?" Mack sat down beside her, a comforting squeeze gripping her shoulder briefly.

"Oh nothing," Rose said airily. "Just that I have to make sure you don't so something stupid, keep in contact with my students and find a new place to live within a week. How's your day been?" Sarcasm dripped from her voice.

"I have something for you," Mack announced cheerfully. "You wanna see it?" He didn't wait for a reply. He grabbed her hand and led her over to where his father's desk still sat and turned the laptop on. "Check this out."

There was a picture of a house on the screen. It was a one storey, painted pale yellow with white trim. The yard was large and fenced in with a white picket fence. It was absolutely gorgeous. "What do you mean, it's for me?"

"I bought it for you." Mack looked rather proud of himself. "Do you like it, Rosie?"

"You…bought me a house," Rose said slowly, turning her gaze from the picture back to Mack. "What on earth are you thinking? You can't just buy me a house."

"You don't like it." Mack sounded deeply hurt.

"No, it's not that. It's a beautiful house, Mack, really it is. But why do you think you have to buy everyone a big expensive present? Ever since your father died, you've bought everyone something." Rose knelt beside his chair and reached for Mack's hand.

"I have nearly a trillion dollars in my bank account, Rose. I'm never going to spend all of it, and why shouldn't I give my friends things they want? You guys are my family."

'_He saw his father die,' _Rose reminded herself, _'Of course he's going to be different, for awhile at least.' _She sighed. "I know we're all family," she said gently, "But families don't have to buy each other racecars or production studios or supersonic jets. Really, Mack, it's sweet that you want to look after us, but I'm worried about you."

"You're always worried about me. That's always how it's been with us. I do something stupid, you freak out and yell at me and I promise never to do it again. We kiss and make up. That's who we are, Rose."

"That is _not _who we are, Mack," Rose said quietly, and her anger was plain. "Or at least, that's not who we used to be." She stood and turned away, stomping through the house up to her room. _'Three…two…one,' _Rose thought. Sure enough, her timing was perfect.

"Rose…" Mack's voice was soft now. He watched her storming around her room. When Mack realized what she was doing, he stepped inside and grabbed her shoulders, steadying her. "Baby…I'm sorry. How can I fix this? I don't want you to leave."

"I think it would be best for both of us if I did leave," Rose said angrily. She broke free of his grip and added the two pink shirts in her hands to the pile of clothes on the bed. "And I'm not your baby. Not anymore."

"Is that what this is about?" Mack asked in his same soft tone. "Our past? I…Rose…I'm not ready for that yet. You said you understood."

"God, Mack. What more do you want from me?" Rose turned back to him, her eyes narrowed. "I have done everything you asked me to. I came when you needed me. I dropped everything for you, just because _you_ asked. It's not a problem, but all I want to know is why you think you can take care of me to the point of buying me a house but you won't tell me how you feel."

He stared at her.

"I was so happy." She looked at the ground. "I had the perfect boyfriend. He was smart, funny, caring and loyal. He did sweet things for me and planned romantic dates for us. I was the luckiest girl in the world, because I was Mack Hartford's baby.

"And then when we found out the truth about you, you told me you wanted to put us 'on hold.' On hold! That really hurt. But I did what you wanted me to, Mack. I backed off and hoped that one day you would wake up and realize that I love you for who you are, not what you are."

"I do know that, Rose."

She hated him for making her cry. "Then why won't you tell me how you feel? I just want to know, one way or the other, so I can be happy again or try to get over you. Don't you know what you mean to me?" Rose looked away.

"I do know what I mean to you. I know it every time you yell at me for being a moron. I know it every time you hug me, and when you-"

"No need to get sappy," Rose snapped.

He hugged her. "I love you too, Rose."

They were quiet for a long time. "So now what do we do?"

"You bought me a house. Well, I'm not going to live there."

Mack's jaw dropped. "But I-"

"Come with me." He started to shake his head, but Rose held up a hand. "Just listen. It would be good for you. You should get away from all of this for awhile. You don't know anyone in London except for me, so it would be a new leaf. Just you and me and _our_ house."

"It's a great idea, Rose, but it's only a one bedroom house." Mack blushed.

To his surprise, Rose smiled. "I'm OK with that."

He wrapped his arms around her, "I say we're officially off this break we were on." He kissed her forehead. "We're going to London, Rose."

"I know."


	7. Through the Cemetery Trees

**Make Him Proud**

"Hi Dad." He lowered the bouquet of daffodils, kneeling beside the grave. "It hasn't been that long. Three weeks. I miss you, Dad."

Mack was quiet for a long time. "Rose and I bought a house in London. She thinks it'll be good for me to get away from all of this. A fresh start. I think it'll be good for me, too."

He smiled now. "Rose and I are back together now. I'm glad about that. I really missed being with her, having her close to me. I love her."

Mack stood up now. "Thanks for everything, Dad."

--

"It's been a long time. Four years now. Rose and I went to London and we lived there. We're back in San Angeles now, and we're looking for a house."

He squeezed Rose's hand. "I asked Rose to marry me. She said yes." Rose caught his eye and smiled, leaning against him. He leaned over and kissed the top of her head.

"Hi Dad," Rose said softly. "I wish you could be at the wedding next spring. It's what Mack and I have always wanted."

--

"I have more big news. Rose and I are having a baby, a little girl. We're going to name her Andrea. At first we had decided on Jamie, but Andrea seemed right. Thanks, Dad. If…if you hadn't done what you did, I would never have had this life. Thanks, Dad. I hope I've made you proud."


End file.
